The Hinckley Subdivision or Hinckley Sub is a railway line operated by BNSF Railway

BNSF Railway

The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...

 between Coon Rapids, Minnesota

Coon Rapids, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 61,627 people, 22,578 households, and 16,572 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,718.1 people per square mile . There were 22,828 housing units at an average density of 1,007.2 per square mile...

 and Boylston Junction between Foxboro

Foxboro, Wisconsin

Foxboro is an unincorporated community, in Douglas County, in the town of Summit, in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Wisconsin.County Road B serves as a main arterial route in the community. Wisconsin Highway 35 is nearby....

 and Superior, Wisconsin

Superior, Wisconsin

Superior is a city in and the county seat of Douglas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 26,960 at the 2010 census. Located at the junction of U.S. Highways 2 and 53, it is north of and adjacent to both the Village of Superior and the Town of Superior.Superior is at the western...

. The line branches off to the north from the Staples Subdivision

Staples Subdivision

The Staples Subdivision or Staples Sub is a railway line running about from Dilworth to Fridley, Minnesota . It is operated by BNSF Railway as part of their Northern Transcon and contains the busiest segment of mainline track in the state, between Coon Rapids and Fridley...

 at Coon Creek Junction in Coon Rapids, and ends where it meets the Lakes Subdivision

Lakes Subdivision

The Lakes Subdivision or Lakes Sub is a railway line operated by BNSF Railway that runs about from the Grand Forks Subdivision at Cass Lake, Minnesota to Superior, Wisconsin, where there are a number of lines. U.S. Highway 2 runs parallel to the line for most of its route. U.S. 2 continues across...

 that brings the rails into Superior and Duluth, Minnesota

Duluth, Minnesota

Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...

. This is the only active rail line between Duluth–Superior and Minneapolis–Saint Paul, so the other Class I railroad

Class I railroad

A Class I railroad in the United States and Mexico, or a Class I rail carrier in Canada, is a large freight railroad company, as classified based on operating revenue.Smaller railroads are classified as Class II and Class III...

s operating in Minnesota

Minnesota

Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...

 have acquired trackage rights on the route. As of April 2009, about 12 trains per day used the route.

Passenger trains used this route until 1985 when Amtrak

Amtrak

The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...

's North Star

North Star (Amtrak)

The North Star was a passenger train operated by Amtrak along the "Hiawatha Corridor" during the late 1970s and early- to mid-1980s. It originally operated as a Chicago, Illinois–Duluth, Minnesota train via Saint Paul, Minnesota, but was soon converted to a Saint Paul–Duluth local...

service ended. As of 2010, a proposed train dubbed the Northern Lights Express

Northern Lights Express

The Northern Lights Express is a proposed passenger rail service running along the corridor between Minneapolis and Duluth primarily in the U.S. state of Minnesota. A portion of the line will run through neighboring Wisconsin to serve Duluth's "Twin Port" of Superior. Plans are to upgrade an...

is in planning stages. While the previous train was limited to between 50 and 79 mph (22.4 and 35.3 ), the Northern Lights Express would run at up to 110 mph (49.2 m/s). The North Star stopped in Cambridge

Cambridge, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 5,520 people, 2,237 households, and 1,353 families residing in the city. The population density was 894.1 people per square mile . There were 2,373 housing units at an average density of 384.4 per square mile...

 and Sandstone

Sandstone, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,549 people, 580 households, and 359 families residing in the city. The population density was 292.5 people per square mile . There were 634 housing units at an average density of 119.7 per square mile...

, and the NLX is also expected to stop in those cities as well as Hinckley

Hinckley, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,291 people, 551 households, and 332 families residing in the city. The population density was 454.3 people per square mile . There were 614 housing units at an average density of 216.0 per square mile...

.